As other reviewers said, it's a lot of work, but it is worth it in the end! I suck at roux, so I made a paste of cornstarch and water and added it to my hot milk...then I added a bit of butter. For the eggplant, I sprayed some olive oil on it and let it brown on both sides instead of frying it in oil. We salted it and rinsed it before. We also used lean meat to cut down on the grease. It was great and I'm sure it'll be even better tomorrow!